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Opinions of Saturday, 10 September 2011

Columnist: Sarpong, Justice

Great Ashanti project is terrifying

"Great Ashanti project is terrifying."-What Is That, President Mills?

Sarpong, Justice

As a Patriotic Ghanaian and a political animal, the wikileaks cables have revealed to me that, we have Politicians, Journalists and respected members in our society who need to be watched closely because most of these people have sold their conscience for money and are working for foreign spy agencies. I have no qualms about that. Why is it that our political leaders are trooping to the foreign embassies rattling like parrots about their political opponents and revealing the countries classified secrets? President Mills has tried his best to portray himself as God fearing and above the fray of political shenanigans. For whatever reason, most Ghanaians have bought into his hypocratical high moral standard which if we examine closely will come crashing down like a tone of bricks. The man is a fake and hypocrite. His constant use of God and religion is a mask to flummox and adumbrate Ghanaians about the pathetic achievement of his two and half years administration. As a matter of fact, Limann achieved more in his two years rule than this Mills administration and and folks, that is saying a lot and really scary. At least Limann has control of his ministers and supporters unlike President Mills.

President Mills is building a reputation as a teflon President and none of his bad behaviour seems to stick to him. Why did he send emissaries to the US Embassy complaining about the impending 2008 elections? According to wikileaks, President Mills sent Edward Nunoo and Sylvanos Tamakloe, to the USA Embassy complaining about NPP intention to rig the 2008 elections by pressuring the Electoral Commissioner, Mr Afari Gyan to announce false results supplied by NPP. Where did Mills get his information?

"The Embassy was approached by two advisors to National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate John Atta-Mills, Edward Nunoo and Sylvanos Tamakloe, who told Political Office that Electoral Commission (EC) Chairman Kwadwo Afari-Gyan was being pressured by the ruling National Patriotic Party (NPP) to announce false results that would be supplied by the NPP. The EC Chairman told Ambassador that the allegations were "utter nonsense."

The problem with this is that, he Mills did not have any evidence to prove to the Embassy and ended up soiling the reputation of Mr Afari Gyan who has supervised four elections, 1992, 1996. 2000 AND 2004 peacefully by then. Why did our God fearing President, candidate Mills at that time used aesopian language to drum his tribalistic politics? We are all aware about his "azde wo fie oye" tribal politics he fanned in Central region, why did he contine his tribalistic politics at the American Embassy when he told the political attache that;

"Politics is very polarized and ethnically divided in Ghana, Professor Mills said, adding that the current "Great Ashanti project is terrifying." (note: President Kufuor is an ethnic Ashanti, as are many at the top levels of his government. End note.) He would try to hold the country together, but "the time comes when the people you lead take over," he said."

What does Mills mean by "Great Ashanti project is terrifying."? Is this how a statesman who wraps himself in cardinal clothes and pontificates more than the Pope is supposed to behave? How can he be the father for all Ghanaians when he dons his KKK clothes and hood under darkness of night and runs to American Embassy castigating the President at that time, President Kuffour and accusing him of being a tribalist when he was the one sermonizing in central region about "adze wo fie oye" politics? How is he going to hold the country together when he was preaching his tribal divide in Cape Coast? "but "the time comes when the people you lead take over," he said." What did Mills mean by that? Was he telling the USA embassy that he has no control over his NDC members and that if he was elected his footsoldiers might do whatever they want because of his perceived "Ashanti project" by President Kuffour? This was the same man that threatened to unleash Kenya situation at that time in Ghana if the election didn't failed to favor him.

Let's give President Mills credit here. This is one promise he has abided by since he has allowed the footsoldiers, his schoolboys Deputy Ministers and Presidential Aides to rum amok in the country doing whatever they want. His footsoldiers true to his words have seized NYEP, NHIS, Bus terminals, Toll booths, public toilets, sacked DCE's appointed by Mills and what not. I believe behind the scenes Mills encouraged his minions to seize cars belonging to those who are NPP supporters since he predicted this to the US Embassy. As the member of Parliament, Ofori Appiah said yesterday, 'President Mills is a weak leader' and that is not even opened to discussion. President Mills is not a leader but a good second in command who is good in doing what Vice-Presidents' are supposed to do, attending funerals of dead foreign leaders and occassionaly subbing for the President when he is not around temporary.

Not only was candidate Mills fanning the embers of tribalism to the USA Embassy, he was also rumor-mongering like a woman scorned. He told the US Embassy of a plot by NPP to assassinate former President Rawlings but when he was asked to provide an empirical evidence, as with rumor mongers, he couldn't do so. Even if it was true that NPP was plotting to assassinate Rawlings, is the US Embassy the place to go to air his concerns? "President John Atta Mills is reported to have told a United States Embassy official in 2008 that there was plot to kill the founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), ex-President Jerry John Rawlings. According to Wikileaks, in a January 17 meeting with Pol. Chief and visiting AF/W Desk Officer, then candidate Mills had claimed “to know about a recent plot to assassinate former president J.J. Rawlings”.

“When asked for more details in the January 26 meeting, Mills said some colleagues informed him about one month ago that some members of the GoG and ruling NPP party had sent professional assassins from the United States to assassinate Rawlings in Ghana.” “Mills was clear that there was no USG (United States Government) connection and he was not sure of the nationality of the reported assassins."

What was Mills motive in divulging this false news to the United States Embassy when he knew he has no evidence to back it up? Why did Mills indulge in apodictic utterances delivered hushedly knowing perfectly well that he can't prove it with empirical evidence? What is wrong with African Politicians and especially Ghanaian Politicians? We run to the westerners and behave like we can't solve our own problems and when they step in to restore peace or take advantage of our own stupidity to advance their policies, then we start talking about this Pan-Africanist nonsense about westerners interfering in our internal affairs when we are the ones who run to them with our slave/master mentality in the first place?. We still have this master slave mentality. We are physically independent in Africa and for that matter Ghana but we are still mentally not independent.

Ghanaian Politicians and our Journalists should be very circumspect when dealing with foreign officials. Most of the information coming out of the wikileaks cables should be top secrtets of the country and I will not be surprised if some of the named Politicians and Journalists are working as Spies for some foreign countries.

Justice Sarpong

Houston, Texas